When We Were Young
by RegalPixieDust
Summary: OQMovieWeek. Prompt: 13 Going On 30. "For some, 13 feels like it was just yesterday. For Regina, it was."


**Part 1 of 2! Wednesday's entry for OQMovieWeek. Prompt: 13 Going on 30. Hope you like it! Part 2 will come tomorrow!**

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_February 1st, 2002_

Regina Mills wanted one thing for her birthday, just one thing. To see her dad. It doesn't seem like much, but it's more of an issue than the average person might think. Much like her eleventh and twelfth birthday, her mother has gone above and beyond to make sure that doesn't happen.

The divorce was messy, a complete cluster of chaos. The estate was split equally between them without so much of a peep from Cora Mills, but the second Henry showed even the slightest hint of wanting anything other than shared custody of Regina, Cora roared like the monster she is and stopped any chance of that happening. Ultimately, the choice did fall into Regina's ten-year-old hands, but when she was sat across from a family court judge and being asked the fateful question, she could feel Cora's control burning against her skin. Regina knew, even at that young age, that defying her mother would only lead to a life of torment, for her and her father. She went against her heart that day and did exactly what she wanted, leaving Henry with barely even a weekend alone with her a month.

Regina begged for that weekend to fall on her birthday, and once or twice she thought maybe mother was warming up to the idea, but here she is, officially thirteen years old, waiting for her ride to school, alone at the breakfast table in front of a soggy bowl of cereal and a beautifully wrapped gift that she knows Cora paid someone to purchase in her stead.

It's her own fault she gets this upset. She constantly gives into the little slivers of hope that present themselves, she gets her hopes up so high and is consistently disappointed. She should know better by now, and today, she vows, will be the last day she expects anything more from her mother.

She goes to school, walks through the halls of Storybrooke Middle School as if it were any other day, beelining straight for her lock and preparing for the long classes ahead, until two hands cup over her eyes from behind her, blinding her.

"Guess who?"

She musters up a giggle and gives up on picking up her mountain of textbooks, reaching up to pull his hands from her face. "The same person who does this to me every morning."

"Wow," Robin reacts, scoffing in jest. "You've been thirteen for a whole," he looks at his wristwatch and confirms, "Eight hours and thirty-four minutes and you're already this sassy? That has to be a world record."

Robin Locksley is her best friend and her biggest secret. Mother has mentioned on countless occasions that Regina should only associate herself with people worthy of her attention, the problem is that Regina and Cora have different opinions of which people meet that standard.

"Happy birthday," he offers kindly, giving her a hastily wrapped (obviously his own handiwork) collection of gifts. He's used purple wrapping paper. Her favourite.

"You didn't have to get me a gift," she mumbles, but thanks him all the same. "This is very kind of you."

"If you can't spoil your best friend rotten on her birthday, when can you?" He shrugs. "But I've saved the best for this afternoon. Meet me in the gym after school?"

Regina narrows her eyes at him with a playful glint in her eyes. He was always going out of his way to surprise her. "What did you do?"

"I'll see you later on," he says, pushing off the row of lockers and ignoring her question, leaving her with nothing but a wave over his head and a final shout of, _Happy Birthday_ down the hallway. It's safe to say her curiosity is going to be piqued for most of the day.

The last fifteen minutes of her final class have felt like hours. Usually, she's completely engrossed with Mr Hopper's English class, but her mind is glued solely on the surprise awaiting her in the gym. Robin outdid himself with his gifts earlier: a packet of Cadbury's milk chocolate buttons (his mom is always ordering them because she knows how much Robin and his friends love them), a beautiful, red leather journal and the sweetest, most stunning necklace with a gold arrow dangling from the chain. She'd put it on immediately, loving how light it was and how now she really wouldn't have any excuse to forget about asking her mother for archery lessons; Robin has been wanting to take her to shoot for a while now, but truth be told, she knows Cora would never allow it. She'd make some quip about it being _beneath her_ or _not something a lady should bother herself with. _

Finally, the bell sounds, kickstarting their weekend and urging her eager classmates out of their seats and into the sea of students dying to get home. Regina lingers though, waiting impatiently at her desk until the hallways clear.

"Enjoy the rest of your birthday, Miss Mills," Mr. Hopper offers as she exits the classroom, and she smiles politely back at him before bumping into a very enthusiastic Robin who grips gently onto her shoulders and starts navigating her towards the gymnasium.

"One thing before you head in," Robin says, twirling her around to face him before he starts rummaging around the inside pocket of his coat. He gives her a small, black, square package with _Pixie Dust_ written in cursive across the front in a bright green font. "For you to make a birthday wish."

She laughs, shaking her head at his latest attempt to keep her optimistic, "You know how I don't believe in this stuff."

Robin rolls his eyes, taking it from her again and shoving it into the side pouch of her backpack. "Save it for later. Use it when you feel like you're out of options. Now, are you ready for your surprise?" Regina nods, desperate to know what is behind the closed metal doors. "My mum helped me pull it off," he tells her, pushing down on the release latch.

When the doors widen, she steps inside and looks around madly, curiosity building and building, until she sees him sitting on the bottom bleacher to her left with a collection of balloons clutched in his hand. Her eyes instantly fill with tears as she breathes out an aporetic, "Daddy," before running the entire length of the gym and colliding into Henry's open embrace. "You're here!" she squeals excitedly against him, squeezing as tightly as she can around his middle.

"Only for a while, Mija," he whispers solemnly, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "But I'll take what I can get."

The minutes with Henry seemed to pass by so fast. Robin and his mother, Eleanor, joined them too, bringing a bright blue birthday cake with thirteen lit candles spread across the top. They sang to her, encouraged her to make a wish, but she blew out the candles without one. She already got her birthday wish.

Nothing joyous seems to last in her life. Nobody expected Cora and the loud clicking of her high heeled shoes to break up their little oasis, a tongue lashing looming as she angrily eyes up everyone in the room.

She narrows her eyes furiously at Regina, "In the car. Now."

She looks around for assistance but everyone appears to be as terrified as she is. Her heart leaps out in front of her fear, only for a moment, as she mutters, "But…"

"Now," Cora snaps.

"It's her birthday," Henry sighs, and Regina leans back into him, breaking eye contact with Cora. "She was just about to have some cake-"

"I don't care," Cora mutters through her teeth, stomping over and picking up Regina's things madly, grabbing onto Regina's hand and dragging her to her feet. "You know you are to come straight home from school. No exceptions."

"Miss Mills," Robin stands bravely, announcing, "Please don't be angry with Regina, this was my idea."

Cora freezes in her tracks, her grip on Regina still a tight as a vice as she slowly turns back to glare at Robin, "This will be the last of your messes you'll drag her into. You can be sure of that."

Once more, Regina is utterly helpless, struggling to find the voice to stand up for herself, struggling to find the courage to snatch her hand away and stand strongly with everyone else, but Cora Mills is impressively cruel, leaving a tattered path of destruction wherever she wants. All she can do is obey and get in the car, not bothering to give them a glimpse back to save herself the heartache.

They didn't mutter a word to each other on the car ride home. They didn't need to. Cora's frustration and disappointment was thick enough that it made breathing difficult. And, to no surprise, she waited until they were inside the confines of their home before the yelling started.

Cora screamed. She demanded obedience. She set her strict rules. Robin is no longer to be in her life, Henry is going to miss out on two months visitation and Regina will focus on school and only school until Cora says otherwise.

In the midst of it all, Regina's own frustration begins to build and with every screamed word out of Cora's mouth, Regina becomes emboldened until suddenly she's arguing back.

"Why are you like this?" Regina screams, the tears Cora had demanded she was to save for her pillow falling without a lick of guilt. "Why must you control every single thing in my life?"

Cora straightens up, almost impressed with Regina's sudden bold attitude. "You are thirteen. You are a child. You can't possibly know what's best for you. I am keeping you right and on a path that will lead you to a life of power and wealth."

"Daddy says the most important thing in life is loving everyone around you," Regina counters, wiping away the wetness from her cheeks.

"Love is weakness," Cora scoffs. "You'll thank me one day. You'll grow up to be so successful and you will understand that everything you loathe about me right now is what will guarantee your future."

"Will I ever be old enough to control my own life?"

Finished with the conversation, Cora starts to walk out of the kitchen, stopping only for a moment to have the last word, joking maliciously, "Maybe when you're thirty, dear."

Regina skipped dinner, the thought of being anywhere near her mother leaving a pit in her stomach. She's been lying in bed, fully clothed in her school attire still on top of the comforter, for almost three hours now, just staring at her ceiling, watching as the sunlight has dimmed to give way for the moon.

She has a writing assignment due tomorrow, something she should have been working on most of the evening; it's nothing overly difficult, but the thought of lifting a pen makes her yawn. She pushes through it, sitting up and forcing herself off of the bed and over to her desk where she hastily threw her book bag and coat.

Her mouth starts to water and her stomach shows a hint of rumbling when he remembers the chocolate Robin had gifted her. She rips open the bag happily and munches away on the small sweet treats, slumped on her desk chair. Noticing the black package sticking out the side pouch of her bag, she abandons the chocolate for now and stares at the pixie dust.

Robin had said to save it for a time she felt like she had no other option, and that's certainly how she feels right now. Flipping over the packet, she reads the whimsical instructions on the back. They're simple enough: Rip it open, pour the dust into her palm, close her eyes, make a wish, blow the dust from her hand… and wait for the fairy that will come to grant her wish. She scoffs at the last part.

Deep in her heart, she knows it's silly, but like it always does, hope is weaselling its way back in. She opens up the large window in her room, lowering down to her knees with her elbows perched on the window sill. It's a calm night, only a gentle whistle of wind through the trees in their yard, and the moonlight is beaming down intensely.

After ripping open the packaging and pouring the handful of green, glittering dust into her hand, she stares at it for a moment, considering all her options. She could wish for a do-over on today, but what would that change? She could wish to go back in time and decide to stay with her father. She could wish for a lot of changes to her past, but something Cora said earlier has been stuck in her mind: When she is thirty, she would finally have control of her own life. She would get to be her own person.

That's her wish. She wishes to be thirty. She closes her eyes, imagines the number in her mind, thinks about how different things will be, how happy she will be, and she blows the dust from her palm and out the window. It clouds around in front of her, being whisked off in the direction of the soft breeze.

She waits for a beat. And then another. Hoping that maybe some magical creature is about to come and steal her away, but it doesn't arrive. Instead, she wipes the residual glitter from her palms, pushing away from the window, deciding that she can rush her assignment before breakfast. She's done for the day.

She crawls into bed, not caring about brushing her teeth, washing her face, removing her necklace or undoing her braid. She slides under the covers, fully clothed, and hopes that sleep will take her away from her worst birthday to date.


End file.
